The political marriage between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk—who once called himself first buddy—came crashing down in spectacular, meme-ready fashion on Thursday, having devolved over the space of several days from Oval Office camaraderie to all-out social media warfare, complete with threats and mutual accusations.
Within hours of Trump threatening to cancel Musk’s federal contracts, and Musk retaliating with public jabs and a surprise Jeffrey Epstein reference, progressives flooded social media with a mix of mockery and gleeful reminders: this was a breakup they saw coming.
Why It Matters
The public feud capped a nearly year-long marriage of convenience between the world’s richest man and its most powerful. Though the two men seemed to genuinely get along, with Musk once saying he loved Trump “as much as a straight man can love another man,” their relationship appeared to break over the tax bill currently in the Senate.
That simmering animosity broke into the open on Tuesday when Musk slammed Trump’s marquee domestic spending bill as a “disgusting abomination,” warning it would balloon the federal deficit by trillions — though Musk notably did not directly criticize Trump. Trump, apparently blindsided, fired back on Thursday by threatening to axe billions in government contracts with Musk’s companies, including SpaceX.
Musk responded on X, directly criticizing the president for the first time: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election… Such ingratitude.” Trump fired back by calling Musk “unhinged” and accused him of harboring resentment over losing electric vehicle subsidies. “He just went CRAZY,” Trump posted on Truth Social before threatening to cancel government contracts to SpaceX. Musk then accused Trump of lying, and escalated the exchange by suggesting—without evidence—that Trump appeared in files related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
What To Know
The German word schadenfreude means taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune. On Thursday, as Elon Musk and Donald Trump torched what was, until recently, a high-powered political alliance, liberal schadenfreude erupted across the internet.
“We warned at every step that GOP planned to do this,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted on X citing Musk criticism to Trump’s bill. “They SAID so. But y’all decided bullying trans people was more important than sensible energy policy… You supported it.”
Ron Filipkowski, former prosecutor and prominent liberal commentator who serves as editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, weighed in on Bluesky: “Musk isn’t a good guy. We forget nothing. He’s not on the team. Never will be on the team… That doesn’t make us Team Elon. Next.”
Jay Willis, editor of the popular Balls & Strikes Substack, summed up the collective mood with a callback on the progressive-friendly Bluesky: “This is the best day on Bluesky since the night Trump got COVID on Twitter.”
Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Others turned to satire. “Was siding hard with Musk on impeachment of Trump,” wrote The Bulwark’s Tim Miller. “But now find myself siding with Trump/Bannon on Musk deportation. A real pickle.”
David Hogg, the DNC vice chair who has recently openly feuded with his own party, put that tit-for-tat aside to add his own shot: “At this rate Elon is gonna be a blue haired resist lib before his Ketamine night cap.”
Progressive influencer Hasan Piker wasn’t laughing. “Elon Musk was a political loser EVEN with the Trump base in tow,” he posted. “The Democrats should not offer a lifeline to him—but ofc they love being losers so they probably will.”
Even David Axelrod, the former Obama strategist, couldn’t believe how fast it fell apart. “Man, this went from Bromance to tiff to all-out war in what feels like a millisecond! Last week, Trump gave Elon a gold key. This week, they’re exchanging forearm shivers.”
The feud marks a sharp end to what had been one of the most public, and valuable alliances of Trump’s second term. Musk had served as a special government employee in Trump’s administration and was a major financial backer of his 2024 campaign, strategically spending hundreds of millions of dollars to help deliver the swing state of Pennsylvania. The two had not spoken since Musk’s formal White House departure last week, according to reporting from CNN.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social: “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given.”
Elon Musk on X: “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
Steve Bannon, former Trump advisor and Musk skeptic, in a phone interview with The New York Times: “They should initiate a formal investigation of his [Musk] immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately.”
What Happens Next
Musk has posted multiple times on X on Thursday, condemning the legislation that requires Republican support to proceed. One post included a poll about starting a new American political party, while others featured reposts of old quotes from Trump and GOP lawmakers about balancing the budget.